DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
German police free hostage at Cologne train station A woman was held hostage by a man for two hours at a pharmacy in Cologneʼs central railway station on Monday. Police stormed the pharmacy and ended the situation around two hours later, shooting the individual several times.Klaus Rüschenschmidt, who led the police operation, said the perpetrator had initially thrown a Molotov cocktail inside a fast-food restaurant in the station, injuring a 14-year-old. An eyewitness told DWʼs David Martin at the scene that the young woman fled the restaurant with her legs on fire. She was taken to hospital. The assailant then "fled to the pharmacy, where he took a hostage," Rüschenschmidt said. When special forces intervened, the man "attempted to set light to the hostage."
Malta battles over memorial to murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia Tourist routes, the justice system and Maltese history intersect where activists set up a memorial to push for answers in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. One year on, authorities have tried to remove it from sight. Walking across the center of Valletta, Raymond and his partner stop to look at the latest additions to a makeshift memorial for the immensely popular blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was murdered in a car bomb on October 16 last year. "We are lucky to have had someone like her," the man remarks. "People like her … OK, they are not perfect, but not everybody can investigate [like] that." Nearby, a city employee is sweeping the square after thick crowds of tourists have dispersed and artisans, competing for their attention, have packed their goods and left. Valletta carries on in its usual rhythm even as, for the past month, this memorial has been different from day to day.
238/2018 • 17 OCTOBER, 2018
Hungaryʼs homeless ban: When poverty becomes a crime Critics, meanwhile, call it barbarous and a criminalization of poverty
A new law banning homelessness has taken effect in Hungary. The government argues the measure will save lives. When Hungary began undergoing political change nearly 30 years ago, people in the country were surprised by the number of homeless showing up on Budapestʼs streets and in its subway stations. By now, most Hungarians have gotten used to the sight — and Budapest has more homeless people, many of them old-aged, than almost any other Eastern European capital. No matter which party was in power over the years, the government has largely ignored them. Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his social policy experts have long wanted to solve the problem. Their latest idea is to institute a legal ban on homelessness. Both the government and several local authorities have repeatedly failed to push through such a law, being stopped both at the Constitutional Court and most recently Hungaryʼs Curia, the Supreme Court, in 2016. This June, parliament passed a constitutional amendment banning homelessness, making an appeal in the Constitutional Court no longer possible. "Habitual residence in a public space is forbidden," the Hungarian Constitution now reads. The ban came into force on Monday with the help of an implementation law which states
that homeless people sitting or lying somewhere among their spread out belongings constitutes a lifestyle in a public space. If they do not follow police orders to leave the site and head to a shelter, they can automatically be called to do community work. If they refuse, they can be detained. They can also be taken into custody if they ignore police requests to leave that space three times over a three month period. They then would face an accelerated trial and a prison sentence. The police are allowed to confiscate and destroy a homeless personʼs belongings at any time, including personal effects — and the homeless person can be required to pay for those expenses. arious Hungarian nongovernmental organizations, including a group named "The city belongs to all," have for months been protesting fiercely against the new ban on homelessness, calling it "inhumane" and inappropriate to solve the problem. On Sunday, civil associations and artists gathered in front of the parliament building on Kossuth Square in Budapest to protest the measure, waving banners that read "poverty is not a crime" and "people who harm the poor are cowards."
US, Saudi Arabia on economic collision course The United States and Saudi Arabia are currently discussing the measures that can be taken if it turns out journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents while visiting the countryʼs consulate in Istanbul earlier this month. Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump vowed "severe punishment" if it were proven that Saudi Arabia killed Khashoggi, and sent Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the kingdom on Monday to discuss the incident. Riyadhhas struck back at the allegations, calling them "lies" and threatening retaliation over any possible economic sanctions by US or other western countries. "The Kingdom affirms its total rejection of any threats and attempts to undermine it, whether by threatening to impose economic sanctions, using political pressures, or repeating false accusations," the staterun Saudi Press Agency said.
Top accolade for woman who broke up anti-Semitic attack Janina Levy intervened in an antiSemitic attack on two men wearing kippas that caused outrage across Germany. Levyʼs bravery has been recognized with a coveted award for civil courage. Janina Levy will be the recipient of the 2018 Berlin "Prize for Civil Courage Against Right-wing Radicalism, Anti-Semitism and Racism," the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe organization announced Monday. Levy, the managing director of a Hamburg creative agency, intervened when a Syrian man in Berlin used a leather belt toattack two young men wearing kippas, the traditional Jewish head covering.
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